German market down 6% but VW bucks trend with new SUV

Volkswagen brand was among the few gainers as German vehicle sales fell 5.8 percent in May.

Overall registrations in the market were 305,057, the KBA motor vehicle authority said on Monday.

IHS Markit said the month saw a big drop-off in commercial registrations, including dealer pre-registrations. This may be an indication that dealers and automakers are throttling back on stock levels over concerns of overly high inventories, the forecasting firm said.

Sales were down 1.9 percent adjusted for one less selling day, according to analysts Evercore ISI.

VW brand sales rose 5.8 percent last month helped by its new T-Roc SUV. The marque, which is the market's top-selling brand, has now posted five months of consecutive gains.